Animal Research in Laboratories What are the applicable ethical considerations when scientists use animals in research? Can researchers justify causing pain to animals while doing research on medicines that could potentially be beneficial to humans? These issues will be discussed in this paper, along with the news that there may soon be alternatives to using animals in research. Pro and Con -- on Animal Research In the Mark Kula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University in California the statistics presented show that "about 20 million animals are experimented on and killed annual" -- and of those three-quarters are killed for medical purposes and the remaining for the testing of "various products" (Andre, et al
In conclusion, this controversial debate is justified, given that humans need to address the way in which they interact with the natural world and the animals that live in the natural world. Meanwhile, an article in the Baltimore Sun explains that testing on animals "…could be phased out over the next couple decades," since new systems are being developed (Cohn, 2010)
Pycroft points to the research by John C. Eccles, who used cats' spinal cords in his investigations, and it led to "the nature of synapse"; Eccles was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology in 1963 for his discoveries (using cats in labs) (Prycroft, 1)
To suppose that such extrapolation could be legitimate is the main reason for the failure and sometimes for the catastrophes which are inflicted upon us by modern medicine, especially in the area of drugs." (Croce, 1991) Even if one takes issues with the biological side of Croce's argument, the alleged uniqueness of the human mind seems to argue against psychological experimentation on humans
While "many private and government agencies that provide funds to research institutions regulate experimentation done by the institution," this leaves regulation up to the agencies, and thus guidelines vary widely. (Rowan, 2005) These regulations are also not always policed and do not always protect animals
Animal activists say there is no such thing, life is life. (Beauchamp 114) Darwin has forever blurred the absolute distinction between humans and all the other species on the planet
In obtaining philosophic and financial support for legislative and regulatory changes, would compromise the future of biomedical research." (Guither 123) VALIDATION: Over the past century animal research has played an absolutely vital role in the advancement of both medicine and science
The AMA supports many polices that protect animal's from unnecessary pain or inappropriate use (Guither 123) and the American Pain Society (APS), who uses animals in their neuroscience research particularly for their ability to experience pain, follows the guidelines of both the World Health Organization (WHO) and the American Psychological Association (APA). (Hadjistavropoulos and Craig 336) These standards minimize pain and discomfort at all times during the research
It is how one animal rights group chooses to describe on its website the use of animals in scientific research. (Owen 20) Organizations such as PITA and others have acted to protect animal rights well above human rights sighting that it is a human beings' charge to protect the less fortunate and vulnerable and not to exploit them
(Use of Animals) Fields such as biological, pharmaceutical and biomedical research, as well as consumer goods testing, educational classes and many more have used animals in their scientific investigations. (Rollin 137) However, the debate over the many ethical issues regarding the use of another sentient species to aid humans in prolonging and increasing the quality of their lives continues with increasing animosity on both sides
By linking us to a long line of descendants from single celled organisms to our fellow simian relatives, the line between them and us has become quite a slippery slope. (Rowan 769) Emotions run strong on this side of the debate: It is "the ultimate evil" and "the most intense form of systematic cruelty in the history of humanity
Government research in biomedical technologies was blooming and the GI bill during that time period provided many incentives for students to pursue techniques for in-vivo (animal) research. (Spun 21) Animal research is responsible for almost all of the advances in medicine from vaccines to genetic research
Almost every protocol that exists today for the treatment, prevention and control of disease is firmly founded in the annals of animal research. (Trull 45; Use of Animals) While there certainly has been an emotional issue in regards to using the companion animals of humans such as cats and dogs, they really make up only less than one half of one percent of this research
Moreover, animal rights advocates would be more consistent if they also supported vegetarianism, since treatment of animals in slaughterhouses was far harsher than in laboratories. No one could "coherently object to the killing of animals in biomedical investigations while continuing to eat them," and in fact far more animals were used to provide food and clothing than for medical research (Cohen 297)
Usually animal models have the most validity when the cause and symptoms of the condition are identical in humans and animals, and using animal models uncritically can lead to "unreliable or even dangerous conclusions." In neurology and psychiatry, finding animal models is especially difficult because of "differences in brain structure and function between humans and other species" (De Deyn and Van Dam 2011)
Animal rights is an extreme position that supports only research that does no harm at all and has only veterinary benefits, with any cost/benefit calculations, but utilitarianism would allow research to go forward if the benefits are greater than the costs and no better alternatives are available. This type of unequal consideration is never laissez faire, though, and would also abolish frivolous and nonessential experiments, reduce harm to the animals and require compassionate treatment (DeGrazia 309)
Furthermore, according to the Department of Health and Human Services animal research has increased human life expectancy by approximately 23.5 years (Gaddy 2006)
More moderate animal rights advocates like Edward Hettinger maintains that animals do have some basic rights, just as human infants have rights even if their intelligence, morality and sense of duty are strictly limited. So do mentally disabled humans, even though their intelligence and moral sense might even be inferior to that of many healthy animals (Hettinger 299)
Federal laws and regulations also require that drugs and chemicals be tested on animals for side-effects before they are ever administered to humans, and disease resistance to drugs or their effects at the genetic level can only be tested on animals. Animal models "remain a vital component of biomedical research," even more so with the development of new types of biotechnologies, but the goal of researchers should be to "create robust animal experiments that ensure minimal suffering and maximal scientific validity" (Kinross and Darzi 2010)
This is just more proof that a fundamental distinction exists between human psychology and consciousness compared to all animal species. For most scientists, however, "animal studies continue to be necessary for advancing human and animal health and have played a vital role in virtually every major medical advance" (Poste 2009)